The present invention relates to a remote manipulation method using a master manipulator and a slave manipulator and a system using said method.
In the remote manipulation, a human operator operates a master manipulator or a handling lever (to be collectively referred to as a master herebelow) and then a slave manipulator (to be referred to as a slave herebelow) is caused to operate according to the operation of the human operator, thereby achieving an objective job. According to the prior art technology, in many remote manipulation systems, the attitude of the slave follows the attitude of the master so as to transfer the reaction force on the slave to the human operator. Generally, operations are performed by also using a TV camera and a TV display to monitor the slave attitude and the state of work being performed. As described in the "Proceedings of '85 International Conference on Advanced Robotics", pp. 329-336 and the "Proceedings of the 1984 National Topical Meeting on Robotics and Remote Handling in Hostile Environments", pp. 367-374, there exist some systems in which with an input of a command by a human operator, a computer imposes a restriction on a portion of the motion of the slave (for example, to retain the tip of the hand of the slave to be horizontal), thereby aiding a portion of the manual operation.
The conventional technology is attended with difficulties and troublesome operations because the human operator operates the master to indirectly move the slave located at a remote position for performing work. Furthermore, depending on the skill required (degree of dexterity), the efficiency of work (for example, a period of time required for performing a piece of work and the quality of the result of work) is greatly varied.